Contact
Björn Þór Aðalsteinsson
Project Manager
bjornth@matis.is
CAZyme-X aims to identify and characterize carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) of novel structure and function that break down seaweed polysaccharides.
Few enzymes of this nature have been described to date, but this represents an opportunity for discovery. The definition of such enzymes would, among other things, create a further basis for the biotechnological exploitation of macroalgae.
Genes for enzymes that break down complex polysaccharides tend to be clustered in microbial genomes. Such clusters often contain a number of genes of undefined function, but their location in the clusters suggests that they have a function in polysaccharide degradation. In the project, we will identify clusters of glycoenzymes in microbial genomes; search for genes in the clusters that have undefined functions, produce them in the laboratory and define their functions – in search of new glycoenzymes.